In a rugged, sparsely populated patch of Arizona, there’s a fragile system of rivers and creeks that cuts through the desert. The San Pedro River and its tributaries, locals and environmentalists say, are a unique gem. Now, they’re sounding the alarm about a number of potential threats to its water and surrounding ecosystems.
Residents are pushing back on a number of proposed developments, including two mining projects, a natural gas pipeline and a petroleum pipeline.
Organizers say they could harm the San Pedro, one of the last undammed, free-flowing rivers in the Southwest, and the Aravaipa Canyon area, a striking section of wilderness that attracts tourists from around the state.
Melissa Crytzer Fry, chair of the board of directors for the Lower San Pedro Watershed Alliance, said new mining activity could pose a “grave danger” by leading to over-pumping of groundwater.
Faraday Copper, a Canadian mining company, is working to acquire an old mine in the area, which will give them control of 18 wells without limitations on pumping. Crytzer Fry said the area has not been studied enough to fully quantify the potential impacts of major groundwater pumping — which could dry up underground water reserves and harm flows on the surface.
“These projects are being greenlit without even knowing how detrimental they will be,” Crytzer Fry said. “That is obviously of huge concern to people who have lived here their whole lives [and] people who recreate in the area.”
Crytzer Fry highlighted potential harm to the water that flows through Aravaipa Canyon, which provides important habitat for desert wildlife.
She said corporations may be pushing for development in the area — about 50 miles northeast of Tucson — because of cheap land and few nearby residents to voice opposition.
Crytzer Fry’s group helped convene meetings of residents, scientists and academics to develop local pushback against threats to the area’s land and water. A recent gathering brought together about 85 people in Mammoth, Arizona.
“We often feel that we are becoming the sacrifice zone,” Crytzer Fry said. “We feel that our elected officials are not protecting us. They're not protecting our federal and our state lands, and those are treasures that belong to all of us.”
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On Sept. 8, KJZZ water reporter Alex Hager presented your questions and concerns to a panel of experts.
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